6:43 am, December 19, 2022
Union boss warns Barclay will ‘carry the can’ if patients suffer due to strikes
The health secretary will have to ‘carry the can’ if patients suffer as a result of widespread NHS strikes, a union boss has warned.
Unite leader Sharon Graham also said Steve Barclay will get a ‘rude awakening’ if he refuses to negotiate on pay, as she insisted the unions will not ‘blink first’ to break the deadlock.
Barclay has said his top priority is keeping patients safe as the NHS braces for major disruption in the run up to Christmas, with nurses and ambulance crews set to walk out on consecutive days this week. He put the onus on unions to ensure they ‘meet their obligations’ for ‘sufficient’ emergency cover so that people in crisis get the care they need.
Elon Musk vows to abide by results of Twitter poll asking if he should step down
Elon Musk has vowed to abide by the results of a public online poll asking Twitter users if he should ‘step down’ as head of the social media platform.
Musk tweeted the 12-hour poll at 11.20pm on Sunday night. ‘Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll,’ Musk tweeted, along with the options ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
The poll attracted more than four million votes within an hour of posting. That number had ballooned to 12.5 million as of 6am, with 56 per cent of votes in favour of Musk stepping aside.
Judgments in High Court challenges to Rwanda policy due
Charities and asylum seekers who brought legal bids against government plans to deport some people to Rwanda are due to find out whether they have been successful.
Challenges were brought against the policy announced by then-home secretary Priti Patel in April, which she described as a ‘world-first agreement’ with the east African nation in a bid to deter migrants from crossing the Channel.
The first deportation flight – due to take off on June 14 – was grounded amid a series of challenges against individual removals and the policy as a whole. Two judges at the Royal Courts of Justice are now due to give their rulings on the legal bids against the policy.
Oil and gas operators fined as part of emissions crackdown
Three major oil and gas firms have been fined a total of £265,000 for actions that have impacted the industry’s efforts to cut back on emissions, a regulatory body has said.
The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), previously known as the Oil and Gas Authority, cracks down on behaviour that risks the industry reaching its net zero targets.
Inspectors revealed UK-based EnQuest was fined £150,000 for flaring an excess 262 tonnes of gas on the Magnus Field, in the North Sea, between November 30 and December 1 last year, despite knowing it did not have the necessary consent in place. Norway-based Equinor was also fined £65,000 for flaring at least 348 tonnes of CO2 above the amount permitted on the Barnacle Field, located in the North Sea, between June and November 2020.
More than 130 bus firms to cap fares at £2 for months
More than 130 bus operators will participate in a scheme capping fares at £2, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.
National Express and Stagecoach are among the companies which will introduce the upper limit for single fares in England outside London from the start of January to the end of March. The cap is being backed by £60m of government funding.
Single local bus fares in England cost an average of £2.80 but can exceed £5 in rural areas, according to the DfT.
Christmas getaway traffic to build throughout week as 20m journeys expected
UK drivers are embarking on an estimated 20m car trips to see friends and family in the run-up to Christmas Day.
The RAC said leisure traffic will build steadily from Monday before peaking on Friday and Saturday, which is Christmas Eve.
Pressure on the roads will be heightened due to a strike by thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Network Rail from 6pm on Christmas Eve. The RAC predicted 7.9m getaway journeys will be made over the two days immediately before Christmas Day.
Weekend Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Conman who raked in more than £1m via fake luxury car dealership websites is told to pay back £80,900
- Rolls-Royce wards off threat of strikes by agreeing bumper pay deal for factory workers
- Preston Porsche dealership to sponsor local school rugby team as it looks to engage with community
- Car dealers to get more information next week about ongoing energy support
- Former Dick Lovett sales advisor denies racism but admits assaulting 12-year-old boy with a paddle
- Cold snap sees demand for 4x4s soar as drivers look to stay safe on icy roads
Sales jump at Ikea as customers return to shops despite price increases
Ikea has revealed that sales jumped over the past year due to customers returning to its shops and price increases in the face of cost inflation.
The Swedish furniture retailer revealed that total sales grew by 13 per cent to £2.2bn over the year to August 31, compared with the same period last year.
Peter Jelkeby, country retail manager and chief sustainability officer for Ikea UK, said the figures highlighted the company’s ‘financial stability and resilience’.
More than half of homes do not meet 2025 energy efficiency target
More than half of all rental homes in the UK do not comply with new energy efficiency standards that are set to come into law in just three years, revealing the massive bill that is set to face landlords.
New data shows that 56 per cent of properties in the country do not have enough insulation to qualify for a so-called EPC rating of C or above. Buildings are scored for their energy efficiency, getting a rating of between A and G for the EPC system. A+ is the best score that a home can receive, showing that it is able to hold its heat better than other buildings.
At the end of 2025, new Government rules means that any home rented out under a new contract needs to have a C rating or above. By 2028, all rentals have to be up to that level.
Weather outlook
Cloudy and wet for most of the UK today, reports BBC Weather, particularly so for northern and western areas. It’ll be a mild day and in sharp contrast to recent low temperatures.
Rain and cloud will be confined to the south tonight, with clearer spells further north.
